U.S. lawmakers invent ways to circumvent ban on earmarks

After giving in to public demand to ban earmarks, U.S. congressional members created a type of special funding that accomplishes the same thing, allowing them to steer taxpayers' money to pet projects. "We thought we'd gotten rid of earmarks," said Steve Ellis, vice president of public-interest advocacy group Taxpayers for Common Sense. "But it looks like Congress has just moved on to other methods."